ComPart trainers satisfied with first session outcomes

ComPart trainers at Rimisp (Chile) thrilled at the end of the first online session this afternoon

The first ComPart online training session (Latin America) took place this afternoon and it went incredibly well! Thanks to the cooperation of technology, we had the participation of 18 people from Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Chile, Colombia, and Holland who were keen on learning about the ComPart approach. This first session was mostly about how to use the virtual conference tool (AT&T), a general overview of the ComPart Approach and how it's making a difference in people's daily work. After the first 10 minutes of training, people seemed comfortable using the main features of the conference tool and fortunately nobody seem to have major problems with technology!

Nobody had a sad or boring face after 1 hour and a half of being in front of their computers. We hope that the next training sessions go as smoothly as this one or even better! And that people really take advantage of all the material that is available for them not only during the training, but also only at http://compart.pbworks.com/main_es and http://compart.pbworks.com/Trabajar-con-ComPart

About one hour after the end of the online training, our email inboxes are getting full with so many registrations from more and more participants. And we are thrilled! You can also register for the next training session in the following links:

El fascinante mundo de la blogosfera: http://www.doodle.com/ferbwgq7y5zzmdfw
Como trabajar con una wiki y no morir en el intento: http://www.doodle.com/6y9ztkef76h4i4vr
Herramientas para ensalzar tu web: http://www.doodle.com/wcqz488db95urb75

Huge demand for ComPart training sessions in Latin America

An overwhelming response received the organization Rimisp when it publicized its calendar of training sessions on the ComPart approach a few weeks ago. The Rimisp-ComPart team will deliver a series of online training workshops to ICCO staff and partners in the region. The topics selected for these workshops range from blogs, its use and management, to collaborative work using wikis. An overview of web 2.0 tools available online will also be part of the training sessions offered by Rimisp online, free and in Spanish!

Diego Reinoso, from Rimisp, processing registrations from ICCO partners interested in ComPart online traning sessions

The first session will take place tomorrow Thursday at 3:00pm (-4:00 GMT) which will have the participation of 40 people from various organizations based in countries such as Peru , Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, Colombia and Nicaragua.

ComPart goes to Zimbabwe

Thetha – an Nguni verb meaning to talk, discuss, debate and share opinions/ideas. This is the name of SANGONeT’s information communication technology (ICT) forum, which provides NGOs with a platform to discuss challenges facing the sector broadly.

The overall objectives of the Thetha project is to raise awareness and inform a wide range of national, regional and international stakeholders about the expected ICT challenges and opportunities that will face the Southern African region in the next 10 years.

The five countries involved in the project are Botswana, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The Zimbabwe Thetha is kicking off on Wednesday, 22 July 2009 and is being organised and implemented in conjunction with E-Knowledge for Women in Southern Africa (EKOWISA), a Zimbabwean organisation. Representatives from government, the ICT industry, NGOs and the donor community will come together to discuss key “ICT for Development (ICT4D)” challenges and opportunities relevant to the future development of Zimbabwe.

The discussions will be informed by the “Contextualising ICT for Development in Zimbabwe” report that EKOWISA prepared in support of the event.

The forum will also promote practical applications that form part of SANGONeT's broader objective to increase the use and awareness of ICTs within the NGO sector in the region.This will be accomplished by introducing participants to the SANGONeT and African Commons Social Media for NGOs training. The one-day, hands-on training programme will teach participants of the wonderful world of web 2.0 tools and how they can be effectively used by you and the organisation to enhance operational practice.

As part of the partnership between ICCO/Euforic ComPart and SANGONeT, Zimbabwean ICCO partners are invited to this event, where they will learn how they can incorporate various social media platforms into their work and where we will introduce them to the ComPart approach and toolset!

In the non-profit sector where the scarcities of time, money and resources are always playing catch-up to our inspirational strategies, social media platforms can be really helpful tools. These free digital spaces can assist us with connecting, networking, researching and fundraising. It's time that we began to engage with them!

More information on the Zimbabwe Forum Discussion can be found here.

We are looking forward to meeting ICCO partners in Zimbabwe!

Nicolle Beeby, on behalf of SANGONeT

Public accountability in a nutshell

Reneé Speijcken is a researcher at the Maastricht Graduate School of Governance. She conducted a research on 'the role of civil society organisations in public accountability' for the ICCO Alliance. Special attention is paid to programmes that relate to education and democratisation. Yesterday, she presented her results at the ICCO Alliance head office.

Numerous debates are held on the effectiveness of development aid, whereby Civil Society Organisations are held accountable. This research focused however on Civil Society Organisations holding their governments into account. CSOs, for example play a role in ensuring that governments are on track in reaching formulated objectives like the Millennium Development Goals.

Renée Speijcken describes in a short interview what public accountability is and what it could mean for ICCO:

"Accountability is a way for citizens to hold their government or service providers into account for their behaviour or their performance. ICCO is in an excellent positions with its partners to strengthen citizen organisations to work on these issues."

The research results will contribute to the elaboration of ICCO and Kerk in Actie future vision and policy on public accountability.

I wonder what your government is or isn't doing to realise the MDGs? Can you blog about it (in any language) and hold them accountable?

By Stephanie Zwier

Read more on the End poverty campaign.

Embedding the Rights Based Approach in the daily work of development practicioners

Incorporating the Rights Based Approach (RBA) into development practice is easier said than done. Today, the second day of a workshop on the Rights Based Approach was held at the ICCO head office in Utrecht.

Today's agenda involved an identification of the characteristics of the RBA. Emphasis was put on linking the conceptual framework of the RBA - discussed in the first day of the workshop - to the practical realities and difficulties participants from the Access to Basic Service department face.

Cornelieke Keizer and Lucy Royal-Dowson from Equalinrights facilitated the workshop. During the lunch break we sat with them and discussed their work, the importance of the RBA and how this should be incorporated into ICCO activities.

Cornelieke Keizer tells that Equalinrights started to collaborate with the Access to Basic Service department of ICCO to define RBA strategies and draw lessons for newly created the regional working offices.

Lucy Royal-Dawson explains that these workshops with ICCO staff aim to pull out the characteristics of the Rights Based Approach. The final outcome of this process should be a position paper by the Access to Basic Services department that defines how RBA strategies will be intergrated into ICCO's work.

Click To Play

Cornelieke Keizer highlights also "the importance of improving the implementation of the RBA" while Lucy Royal-Dowson encourages ICCO to adopt the RBA, since it is in line with its moralistic and ethical approach. They also advise to invest in capacity building and trainings to make sure the Rights Based Approach is incorporated in all levels of the ICCO Alliance.

Wilma Rozenga, one of the participants in the workshop, reflects on the workshop and the way forward.

Click To Play

She explains that the first day of the workshop focused more on the conceptualisation of the 'Rights Based Approach'. She much valued this second day of the workshop, because it related to the implementation of the RBA in her daily work. Wilma Rozenga sees challenges in how partner organisations can best implement the RBA in their daily work to reach the target population. Additionally, she sheds light on the future of the Rights Based Approach. The participants of the workshop will develop a position paper to ensure that partners will be helped to implement, communicate and monitor the Rights Based Approach.

By Stephanie Zwier

You will soon be able to read the full report of the workshop on the ICCO Alliance RBA wiki